Fighting Against Fate Once More
by SlightlySpiteful
Summary: What if there really was an eastern tribe attacking Serdio? Takes place three years after the game ends. What appears to be a war between Serdio and Nissil escalates into something larger. A few new dragoons join Dart and co. M for language use!
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own anything so __don't__ sue! This is my first decent LOD __fic__ and updates will be slow. This takes place three years after the final battle and is a 'what if' scenario based on what might happen if an eastern tribe did attack Serdio. I looked up the map and it appears there is a country named Nissil to the east of Serdio but I could be wrong with the name since the other countries on the map are spelled slightly differently in the game. For right now I'm just going to stick with Nissil._

The sun begins to set as a group of heroes sit around a campfire in a snow-covered wilderness. The king of Serdio sighs and shakes his head as the First Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau pokes at the fire with a twig. A young copper-haired woman walks over, taking a seat next to the king, pale green eyes reflecting in the fire's glow.

"How'd did we end up here?" She asks aloud to no one in particular.

…

(A month earlier)

The roar of Siyamak, Skeletal Dragon of Demise, reverberates through the woods bordering Serdio and Nissil. Trying to ignore the terrifying battle cry of the dragon, King Albert readies his men for battle, hoping he won't have to transform into a dragoon for this. Dart stands to his right, thinking the same thing as the skeleton-like dragon flies over the mountains separating the two countries.

"Do you think it's a dragoon controlling the dragon?" Dart asks the king in a hushed voice.

"Let's hope not…but I can't think of any other reason why a dragon would ally itself with humans…unless the war is disturbing it somehow…"

An unearthly scent suddenly fills their nostrils as the beast lands, reeking of decay. The dragon seems to have pieces of black scaled flesh falling of its bony body, plants withering away if the decomposing flesh touches them. Some of the younger soldiers hunch over, spewing out the contents of their last meals on the dry yellow grass. The older more experienced ones cough slightly at the smell but avoid gagging.

"Is this thing decomposing?!" Dart exclaims, covering his nose with his left arm.

The soldiers are too distracted trying not to gag to see the large skeletal tail crashing into the front line. Jumping back from impact just in time, Dart and Albert watch as thirty of their men are thrown across the battlefield. Without saying a word, the two look to each other and nod, silver and jade lights emitting as they transform.

…

"Why aren't you out on the battlefield, Keita?!" King Errigal hollers at his only child, a frightened young woman.

"Father, Siyamak seems to be doing a good job decimating the soldiers…I don't see why I need to be out there!" Keita replies, rubbing her arm nervously.

"It could turn on us at any given minute! Are you insane? You are the only one that can control it, Keita! It is you who possesses the Onyx Death Dragoon Spirit, you dolt…though if I had a say in the way those things work I would have given it to one of my nephews!"

Flinching slightly at her father's harshness, Keita bites her lower lip while thinking up an excuse not to see the dragon. Fear courses through her body as she imagines having to transform into a dragoon. The only dragoons she ever saw were in ancient text books. Why the dragoon spirit that had been kept as a family heirloom chose her is beyond her reasoning.

"But father I never learned how to use it! The dragon won't listen to me it just fights for us because Serdio is attacking the mountains where it lives!"

"But you can control it, Keita! Do something for the kingdom of Nissil for once! Now take up your katana and get out there! Don't bother coming back unless you have that dragon tamed!" Errigal shouts, wishing his wretched inhuman wife would have given birth to a son.

Curtains of sleek copper hair fall around her face as she hangs her head down in defeat, "Yes father…"

Walking to the edge of the city nearest the mountains, Keita lets out a soft sigh whispering, "I don't want to do this."

Closing her pale-green eyes, Keita calls upon the Onyx Death Dragon for the first time and the transformation begins. A black mist slowly surrounds her as she melts into a puddle of black acid. Slowly, she emerges from the small puddle wearing dark black dragoon armor covered in bones adorned with dark black stones.

"So this is what it's like to be a dragoon…" She whispers, feeling the heavy armor weighing her down slightly and taking a moment to adjust to the wings.

"I can fly…" Keita muses as she lifts off of the ground, hovering two feet above the pavement.

She smiles softly, knowing she would never have to worry about falling off the edge of the city ever again. Spyridoam, the capitol city, is a floating city held up only by magic. In addition to the many humans living in the city, the city is also home to a few winglies, one which keeps the city afloat. Nissil is one of the few countries where humans and winglies live in harmony together but since mountains bordered it on all sides the neighboring countries tend to overlook it. Not only do winglies live there but minitos and a few gigantos also find refuge in the flourishing country as well a few other species not known to many other countries. A few demons came to the country a few years ago and ever since then her father became power-hungry, wanting to dominate every country in Endiness. Keita often wonders why the demons came to their city after the moon fell. There is only one other creature inhabiting Nissil, locked in a tower by her father.

Her name is Rhoswen, wife to the king and mother to Keita, the only remaining siren in Nissil. When her father found out he was furious that she kept it a secret, remembering how sirens once lured his grandfather to his death while out at sea. He couldn't see she wasn't like them and now Rhoswen remains confined in a tower, never even seeing her daughter. Of course Rhoswen could sing and lure a guard to let her out but she gave up singing when she realized the effect it had on men. She would never sink to the depths her murderous sisters had.

Jumping off the edge of the city momentarily scares Keita since at least one child or elderly person falls to their death once a year. She remembers the airships always rushing to try and catch them but always ending up too late but just in time to clean up the mangled bodies on the rocks below.

She flies high in the air, looking towards the mountains, the dragon already visible. The cool rush of air against her snowflake pale cheeks as she flies causes her to smile briefly. She often imagined how flying would feel but now, as she soars through the sky, Keita realizes flying is far more wonderful than just dreaming of it. An unfamiliar sight causes her to stop in midflight. Her eyes widen as she sees two flashes of silvery white and green assaulting the dragoon.

Swallowing hard, Keita hopes whatever's causing the light is not a threat. Nearing the battlefield she notices two men clad in dragoon armor and she feels her heart sink. Even if the dragon helps her she is still going up against two dragoons. High above the ground, a sudden waft of decay fills her nostrils, causing her to gag. Looking over to the dragon, she realizes that its flesh is falling of its skeletal structure. Keita does not realize that when being a new dragoon one must not stay in form for too long. Suddenly a black light surrounds her and she is back in her human form, plummeting towards the two men below her.

Albert watches as Dart completes Divine Dragon Cannon on the dragon, hoping that the creature will finally retreat. It had already killed six of his knights; six men who will never see their families again. A high pitched shriek fills the air above him and he looks up just in time to see a scared-out-of-her-wits girl hurtling towards him.

Pain, the last thing he can recall before he blacked out, turning back into his human form. Moaning weakly, Albert tries to move, his limbs sore and stiff. Opening his eyes, he suddenly realizes there is a woman on top of him. Remembering the screaming girl hurtling towards him, the king realizes what happened, wondering how she fell.

"Albert! Are you hurt? Who's that girl?" Dart asks, finally finding his fellow dragoon.

The dragon is retreating at the moment so Dart transforms back to his human form.

"I'm aching a bit…that's all and I don't know who the girl is…she just fell…from the sky…" Albert mumbles, still weakened from the impact, not noticing the woman stir.

"SOA ABOVE!" A feminine voice screams from on top of Albert, catching the two male dragoons' attention.

Pushing herself off of the king, Keita stands up quickly, pale green eyes warily flitting back and forth between the two as she slowly steps away. Her knees give out and she collapses into a kneeling position. Looking down at herself, Keita realizes she is no longer in dragoon form and curses lightly under her breath. Turning her gaze back to the men, she realizes they are from Serdio and a jolt of fear courses through her veins. Taking in her surroundings, she realizes that there are several army troops surrounding the area. Shaking her head in disbelief, Keita knows she is trapped and dreads becoming a prisoner of war. Suddenly hope courses through her as she gazes towards the mountains but it leaves as quickly as it came when she doesn't see Siyamak. Her fists clench the grass beneath her as she tears at it savagely, taking out her frustration on the grass. The young half-siren is so caught up in her anger that she does not notice the two men advancing towards her. When they get within three feet of her, Dart and Albert notice their dragoon spirits have begun to glow brightly resonating with the one hidden underneath Keita's shirt.

"You-you are?!" Dart's eyes go wide as he stares at the young woman kneeling down before him.

_That's right…I have this!_ Keita remembers suddenly calling on the power of her dragoon spirit, transforming into the Onyx Death Dragoon. Propelling herself off the ground, Keita gives the two dragoons one last look before flying away as fast as her new wings can carry her. Dart and Albert watch her fly away, too stunned at the sudden discovery of another dragoon so soon, noticing her strange jet black armor encased in what appears to be bones, almost like a skeleton. Dart feels a soft vibration on the ground and he turns to find Albert sitting down once again, still a bit woozy from the concussion.

"Are you alright?" The king's comrade asks, kneeling down next to him.

"Yeah…I think I just need to retire for now…I trust you'll alert me should the dragon or this new dragoon return?"

"I will…" Dart replies, staring off at the spot where the other dragoon flew off to. "Do you want me to go after her? I'm pretty sure she was Nissilian…she could be a threat."

"Not yet…though she may pose a threat we must hold our defenses here. Their army is likely to emerge since the dragon has disappeared. I am under the impression that they keep their soldiers away from the dragon considering we haven't seen any of them since the dragon appeared."

"Dragon?" A female voice asks, from behind them.

"Shana?! What are you doing here?!" Dart asks, turning around to face the brunette.

"Are you forgetting that I can fight as well?" Shana sighs as she gestures to the bow and quiver strapped to her back. "You left early this morning without so much as a goodbye. When I heard you went to fight it didn't surprise me but you should have told me!"

"If I would have told you, you would have insisted on coming…I guess it you found out anyhow…Shana, this is too dangerous for you. Go back to Seles at once!"

"No Dart…I'm staying here, with you. I want to be fighting alongside of you like I use to."

One look into her pleading brown eyes and the blond caves in, sighing in frustration before running a hand through his spiky mane.

"Just stay back, ok? You can fight without having to be close to the front lines. If the dragon comes I want you to get as far away as possible."

…

Trembling as she descends and changes out of her dragoon form in front of Siyamak's cave, Keita looks around, hoping no Serdian soldiers are prowling the perimeters but she doubts they are foolish enough to do that. Even standing ten feet away from the cave entrance the stench of decay already fills her nostrils. Taking out a black bandana, she ties it around her head so that it covers her nose and mouth. After taking a moment to prepare, Keita closes the distance between herself and the cave, darkness immediately engulfing her as she progresses inside.

The sounds of the world outside of the cave grow fainter and fainter as Keita stumbles blindly onward, hoping not to stumble into the dragon's mouth. The putrid smell begins to increase. Keita can now smell it through her bandana, gagging slightly as her trembling increases, knowing the dragon is nearby. The smell becomes so intense that her eyes begin to water as she struggles not to gag or vomit. Slowly through the darkness the form of the skeleton-like dragon becomes visible, Keita's heart-rate increasing rapidly. Pulling out her Onyx Death Dragoon Spirit, she makes a black light appear before the dragon, kneeling down on one knee.

"Siyamak, Skeletal Dragon of Demise, I have come to you today to ask for your help," Keita says slowly, voice trembling.

Siyamak roars and approaches the young woman before him, eyes showing no signs of mercy.

Suddenly she hears a voice in her head. _Foolish human! What makes you think I want to align myself with the likes of you? My body has been decomposing for over 1,000 years now and I want to die peacefully but your conflicts are keeping me awake! I should eat you now so that I have one less person disturbing my rest! Giving me one good reason why I should hear you out!_

Siyamak roars, bringing his head within inches of the young woman, sending her into a panic. Taking a few deep breaths, Keita gathers her thoughts before answering the dragon.

"Great dragon, It was not our intention to rouse you from your rest. The Serdians are the ones making all the commotion outside of your home. My army wants to defeat them. If you join us we can wipe them out quickly and you can go back to your rest. I am a dragoon of the same element as yourself. Together, we would make a powerful team," Keita says, voice still trembling as she transforms into a dragoon once more to show Siyamak what she is.

_A dragoon?__ Fine, dragoon, I will help you but should you be a burden to me, I will dispose of you like a bothersome gnat!_

…

"Shana!" Dart cries as a Nissilian soldier breaks through the front lines, heading towards the archers.

His fears are eased when Shana shoots the soldier in the neck, between his helmet and chest plate. Unfortunately his momentary distraction gives a soldier the opportunity to sneak up behind him, Shana's eyes growing wide upon seeing this.

"Dart look out!" The former Moon Child cries, releasing an arrow from her bow that hits the soldier right in the forehead.

Not paying attention to his comrades, Albert continues fighting his way through lines of Nissilian soldiers, as he predicted, they arrived after the dragon left. Spinning his lance and thrusting it underneath another soldier, piercing his intestines, something catches the king's eyes. The Nissilian soldiers in the back lines begin to retreat, a familiar stench wafting through the air. His golden eyes glance up towards the sky, spotting Siyamak flying towards the front lines of the Serdian army and the dragoon they saw earlier flying ahead of him. Knowing too well that his troops will not be able to stand up to a dragon and a dragoon, the king calls his troops back save for himself and Dart.

"But your majesty, you can't die! Serdio needs you!" A soldier protests.

"Serdio does need me and that is why I am calling you back. Normal humans cannot withstand the attacks that a dragon and dragoon can make. Dart and I have this under control," the king says reassuringly.

Dart and Albert transform into dragoons, flying towards the place where Siyamak and Keita have landed, Shana secretly following behind them.

Keita hovers above the ground, slightly nervous as she sees the two dragoons flying towards her. Deciding not to show her fear, Keita puts on a brave face and straightens her posture.

"Foolish dragoons! Do you really think you can stand up to Siyamak and myself! You might as well retreat now and save yourself the effort!" Keita taunts, as Siyamak roars impatiently behind her.

"Your boasting isn't going to save you!" Dart hollers as the battle begins.

The two begin attacking the dragon first but notice a slight problem. Whenever the dragon grows weaker, Keita casts a healing spell on it. Deciding to change their strategy, the two dragoons rush towards Keita as she flies towards them and attempts to slash Dart in the face. Barely avoiding her attack, Dart retaliates by backing up and firing Divine Dragon Cannon at her, making a direct hit. Keita screams as she feels the burning sensation throw her back into a mountain, falling to the ground. Relentless as she is, Keita flies forward once again this time casting a magic spell on Dart and Albert. Skeletons rise from the ground and begin to attack them but they are soon obliterated once Dart fires another Divine Dragon Cannon. Albert summons the Jade Dragon to attack Siyamak and Keita, the attacking missing Siyamak but hitting Keita hard. She falls to the ground, hurt and unable to move for a few moments. Slowly she stands up, flying up into the air once more, charging at Dart, her katana raised in the air with the intent to kill. Right as she closes in a shooting pain courses through her arm, causing her to drop her sword and pause in midflight. Dart turns around to see Shana standing further away from the battle, a determined look in her normally tranquil eyes. Keita lets out a cry of pain as she rips the arrow from her arm, blood gushing out like a scarlet fountain. Picking up her katana, Keita prepares to attack again but his hit by Gaspless from Albert.

"Ugh…I'm going to withdraw from battle…Siyamak, finish them off!" Keita orders as she flies out of attacking range.

_Foolish girl! I will eat you after I dispose of them!_ Siyamak shouts in her mind.

Dart and Albert find it much easier to attack the dragon this time, easily winning the battle when they have the dragon outnumbered. With one final Divine Dragon Cannon, Dart blasts the dragon, sending it into the mountain, a loud thud echoing through the area as it hits the ground. Keita flies to the ground as the two dragoons watch the dragon die. Suddenly black flames encircle the two Dragoons as Keita smirks, her breathing labored and ragged from taking so many attacks. Albert uses Wing Blaster to blow the flames away and towards their attacker.

"No!" Keita screams as the flames engulf her, and she falls out of the air and lands on the ground, no longer a dragoon.

Dart and Albert change back, approaching the young woman, weapons still drawn. Pale green eyes widening, Keita looks up at them in fear as she stands up, wincing in pain. Dart raises his sword to finish her off but stops when he sees her lower her katana, her voice cutting through the silence with a weak laugh.

"I should have known," She whispers, staring at the ground, "That two dragoons were no match for me. Even with a dragon…I was…still am…horribly weak. Go ahead, kill me."

She sees nothing but darkness through her closed eyelids, awaiting the blade to pierce her heart or sever her head from her neck but neither fate arrives. She opens her eyes to see them leaving, life still in her body. Shaking her head in disbelief, Keita stares after them, confused.

"Why?!"

No one answers her question as she falls to her knees, hopelessly looking after them waiting for an answer that will never come. The wind blows, softly pushing her copper hair around her motionless frame, pain coursing through her body. Slowly, she falls forward, hitting the soft grass as she passes out, alone in the wilderness.

"She didn't know what she was doing," Dart finally says after walking in silence with Shana and Albert for a while.

"We should hurry back…Undoubtedly more troops will be on their way. Our defenses need to be prepared," Albert says as they reach the border of Serdio and Nissil.

_That's the end of chapter one. Nice reviews would be awesome! Helpful reviews would be appreciated! Thanks!_


	2. Chapter 2

_I don't own The Legend of Dragoon…all I own is the Onyx Death Dragoon, Keita, and the other OCs in this fanfiction. It's been a while since I updated it but I feel like it needed to be done. There may be some tense changes that are unintentional. This will probably be the only chapter out for a while yet but this fic will be done…even if it takes years. Feedback is greatly appreciated but no flames please._

"Siyamak is…dead…" Keita confesses to her father, head bowed low in shame.

King Errigal's face takes on a shade of deep scarlet, a vein popping out of his forehead. Keita braces herself for his harsh reply, taking a few steps away from the throne.

"DEAD? Foolish girl! I want you to attack the Serdian troops with your dragoon spirit now! Fight them until you die! Don't bother coming back unsuccessful if you're alive," he snarls, standing up and marching out of the room.

"Yes father…" Keita whispers, turning to leave.

"Keita, don't do it!"

Turning around Keita sees her father's advisor, Chester running towards her.

"Keita, your father hasn't been the same ever since the demons came to Nissil! He was already a corrupt man but he has been having meetings with the demons more and more frequently! I think the demons are planning something big, Keita. You should leave Endiness while you still can, you're young!"

"Why would the demons have anything to do with my father's lust for domination?"

"Ever since the moon fell…things haven't been the same. The demons that came here after that…they are different from other demons I've encountered. I sense something sinister about them, Keita."

"Chester!" Errigal calls from his chambers.

"Coming, your majesty!" Chester replies before turning to Keita once again, "Get out of here before it's too late…our kingdom is doomed."

"Our kingdom isn't doomed, Chester," Keita replies before leaving the castle, clenching her fists. "I will not let Nissil fall."

Dart smiles as he takes Shana's hand, leading her into a waltz across the battlefields. The Nissilian troops had ceased their advance earlier in the day and the knights decided to throw a little party over the dragon's defeat. Through a tent flap, the king of Serdio sighs, remembering how he and his former wife Emille use to dance. The stars shine brightly, illuminating the camp as a lone figure flies towards them, stopping on the outskirts of camp. Shooting Dart a worried look, Shana points to the figure approaching them. A flash of black light engulfs the figure and Keita returns to normal, holding up her hands to show she is unarmed.

"Do not attack me. I wish to speak with your king," Keita says calmly, waiting for a response.

"What is your business here?" Dart asks, not trusting her at all.

"To help you win the war."

"How do I know we can trust you?"

"You can't but," Keita says as she reaches a hand under her shirt, revealing her dragoon spirit and holding it out to Shana, "she can hold onto this and if I try something suspicious I will be without a dragoon spirit."

Nodding wordlessly, Dart leads her to Albert's tent.

"Wait here," he instructs, entering the tent.

Keita nods as Shana watches her.

"Why do you want to help us?" She asks out of curiosity.

"I was blinded…the truth was right before me the whole time…The kingdom I grew up in is going to fall due to my father's corruption…I don't want that…Nissil is…a wonderful place and I can't let it be destroyed! My father must be stopped!" Keita replies, not noticing that Dart and Albert had already come out and heard all of that.

"Your father…does that mean?" Dart asks, eyes widening.

"My name is Keita, princess of Nissil…it is an honor to formally meet you all," she says bowing. Keita never curtsied as her father raised her more like a son than a daughter.

"Dart."

"Shana."

"Albert, King of Serdio. What is it that has caused you to turn yourself over to Serdio?"

"It all started when The Moon That Never Sets fell from the sky…" Keita says, taking a deep breath and sitting down on a log. "Nissil has always had a demon or two as we are very open minded when it comes to what species one is…but after the moon fell out of the sky new demons came to Nissil…They sought out audiences with my father…a month after these meetings started my father sent his troops to attack Serdio. It is more than obvious to me that there is a connection between the demons and my father's decision to go to war…He has always been a corrupt man but…more so than ever as of late.

Serdio has the advantage now since Siyamak has perished…but that will not stop my father…he will continue sending troops until there are no more troops to be sent and since our capital is in the sky it is hard to get to so there will not be a way to quickly end the war unless…someone shows you how to enter the city and the castle. This is why I'm here…I will get you into the city and into the castle. My father must be stopped…even if that means he must die."

"Oh your father won't be the only one to die, _princess_…" A voice calls out from the bushes, causing her to get up and unsheathe her katana. "You will die too for what your family has done to my family!"

Suddenly a man sprang forward, unsheathing dual swords and charging at her. He had tanned skin, tall, lean, and had angry brown eyes. He swung his swords forward, attempting to slash her across the chest but Keita jumps back, hitting his swords away with her own.

"Shana my dragoon spirit!"

Shana tosses her the onyx stone and Keita does a quick transformation, her armor encasing her just as two slashes hit her across her chest and abdomen. She was grateful the armor protected her from getting cut.

"Stop this at once!" She says, blocking all of his attacks but with a bit of effort, this man was certainly strong. "Killing me won't solve anything!"

"Perhaps not," the man says, lowering his weapons, just now noticing that the other three had drawn their weapons on him as well. "But someone has to pay for my brother and my sister's deaths!"

He goes to attack again but Dart attacks him this time instead, only to be stopped by Keita.

"This is between this man and myself, lower your weapons and stand aside," Keita says as she fights with the man, eventually being able to disarm him.

"Fine…" the man says panting hard, lowering his head. "Kill me then. Kill me just like your god damn troops killed my siblings!"

Keita had withdrawn from her dragoon transformation and stays in her normal armor. "Killing you would be a waste of time! Can't you see that I don't want any more people dying? This is why I'm here at Serdio's camp! I want to right my father's mistakes! Besides, I'm sure your siblings would be so thrilled to know that you died for nothing! Go do something with your life and make them proud…this war will be over soon."

"Don't you even want to know how my siblings died, Keita?" The man asks, looking at her with a hateful glare. "Your father drained all the body from their bodies. They were guards at your castle. One night they didn't come back. Your _wonderful _father at least had the courtesy to return the bodies to my parents. He told us they died from poison. He said someone had sent all the guards working that night poison in their food. My parents were smart enough to call a doctor in from the clinic. The doctor reported there was no blood to be found in their bodies and no trace of poison. The doctor said there were tiny but deep cuts where the blood was trained…almost like they were being sacrificed in a ritual. We know the rumors of the demons! Your father sacrificed their blood for something!"

"Nissil…is conducting blood sacrifices?" Albert breathes in disbelief.

"How awful!" Shana says in agreement.

"That would explain why my father's youth seems to have returned to him…" Keita murmurs, running a hand through her hair. "He was getting a bit weaker…he is fifty now and old age is starting to kick in…but lately…he has been training with the knights and he seems to have gained a lot of energy and strength…I know that demons can…strike deals…My father must have…oh Soa…I never thought he would be this much of a monster! Forgive me for not seeing what he was doing sooner…I will make sure to put an end to his madness…" She says, gazing to the young man.

"I don't believe you. You're his seed after all. How do I know you this isn't some façade to lure everyone into trusting you?"

"She's not doing that…I can tell that she sincerely wants this all to end," Shana says, stepping next to Keita.

"Hmph…I still don't trust her so I'm going with you all to make sure you kill the bastard."

"Very well…" Keita says, not liking how coldly he said that last sentence. Even though her father was corrupt and committing evil acts…he was still her father and she loved him. The father of twenty years ago, the one that would sit her on his knee and read her poems still lived on in her mind.

"What's your name?" Shana asks, looking over the new member of their small castle-raiding party.

"Killian," he says gruffly, sitting down on a log. "So _princess_, care to tell us how to get into the palace?"

"It's Keita," she replies coolly before telling the group how they would sneak in and where the secret passages in the castle were.

…

"Well…you all look like soldiers of Nissil though…you may want to keep your helmet on lest you be recognized as king," Keita says, looking toward Albert.

He nods to her and in the middle of the night, the five of them leave the Serdio campsite, only telling the head knight what they are going to be doing. If word got out to others something might slip to Nissil if any of those soldiers got taken captive. The king of Nissil was known for torturing the truth out of war prisoners.

"Princess Keita! You know your father does not want you returning unless you have defeated Serdio!" A guard in charge of the airship says to her.

"I am aware. I am just going to survey the enemy formations from above," she says passing by the guard. "These soldiers here are going to help me raid the troops."

"How does this ship operate?" Albert asks, fascinated by how it seems to fly through the air. "And how does your city stay afloat like that?"

"Honestly, I don't know how the ship works…but the city stays afloat from wingly magic. Nissil is very diverse in species. Winglies live alongside of humans and we're all treated equally. My father use to be a good man…he treated the winglies well and in return they helped him build his city like this."

"A good man Soa's right testicle!" Killian snorts from the other side of Albert.

"I know why you say that Killian…and I really don't blame you," Keita says softly, "but my father was a good man at one point in his life."

She walks away from the two of them, hiding the pain in her eyes. She stands alone for the duration of the flight up to the city.

"Dart! The view is so beautiful…" Shana says as she looks out over the deck of the ship. "I'm afraid I'll fall though…"

She blushes faintly as she feels his arms wrap around her middle.

"Then I'll just have to catch you…" he whispers into her ear, giving the side of her neck a soft kiss.

…

"It would be too obvious if we just walked in there. The guards know not to let me into the palace…my father's last words to me were to defeat Serdio and come back alive…or to come back in a casket. Come, I know a back entrance," Keita tells them, leading them through a few alleys until they reach the back of the castle.

She finds the back door to be abandoned for the moment.

"Since our city floats and most of our citizens are happy the back is normally left unguarded. This way," Keita says as she leads them into the castle, being careful to avoid being caught.

She stops outside a small wing of the palace. "We should come up with a battle strategy…my father no doubt has demons with him too."

She leads them into her room. "No one ever comes into my room and they think I'm still out fighting…"

They notice that her room does not have many things in it and there are many dents in the walls. There is a chair by the window and a coffee table in the back of the room. A few shelves were pushed up against the walls, one has many books on it and the other has various divination objects and a few musical instruments. They also notice a few house plants in the corners of the room for decoration. There's also a trunk she keeps under her bed that none of them notice, full of toys her father gave her when she was a child.

"Don't you have fancy dresses and jewelry? I thought princesses had a lot of stuff," Shana says as she looks around the spacious room.

"My father never spoiled me with dresses and jewelry…what I have of that is stashed away in the closet…I wouldn't have a use for such useless stuff anyways…and I wouldn't be able to practice my swordsmanship with a bunch of junk anyways."

"Well what the fuck are we going to do now that we're here? Clearly we're not going to be talking about the objects that are or aren't in the princess's room," Killian says, leaning against a wall.

Dart glares at him for a moment while Shana murmurs a "sorry".

"The demons fight with magic but in order for them to use some of their magic they must sacrifice those around them…if they don't have anything to sacrifice they'll fight with weapons…the demons I've seen in my father's company hold frighteningly huge weapons and when I saw them spar they move faster than any human…they will be hard to take down even in dragoon form…" She says with a sigh before taking a book out from the shelf. "This is all the information I have on demons and how to fight them."

With that being said she opens the book up and they all begin to look through it, searching for anything that gives information on a demon's weaknesses.

…

"There are intruders in the castle…" A figure whispers to the king. "I sensed them a few minutes ago…but I can't tell where they are."

"Intruders? How did they get here? Someone from the inside must have helped them…" Errigal snarled, "Have the guards search every room."

"As you wish," the figure says, eyes flashing red.

_Well Chapter 2 is done...look for Chapter 3 within the next few months! Reviews please! Also, if anyone's interested I may do fanart of Keita, Killian, and Siyamak and put it on my deviantart account. I'll have the links for that if I do put artwork up. Thanks!_


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